Telesa
by TheLastWill
Summary: They only had one wish. Keep their little brother safe. However, the gods had another plan. Cursed with the mission of their fore-mothers. Blessed with gifts from the gods. Shrouded with secrets and lies, without enough answers. All they ever wanted was to keep their brother safe and happy, but the gods were talented in denying even the most simplest of wishes.


Four different pairs of coloured eyes gleamed through the dark of the night, hair. alight with fire danced in the wind, different impossible shades.

One teenager knelt down beside their latest victim, she caressed his bloodied cheek with her long, sharp nails.

"Oh dear," She purred, while the other three watched with savage glee. "Regret doesn't look on you, honey."

She gripped his face in her hand, nails biting into the tender flesh.

"If we see you hear again." She brought her lips closer to his earlobe, painted red lips stretched in a wicked smile. "You won't be leaving with regret. You won't be leaving, _at all._ "

Their victim drifted into darkness to the sound of their cruel laughter.

* * *

"Reckon we scared them good?" The tallest one grinned savagely, her sharper than normal canines gleaming.

"Of course we did," Her companion flipped bright red curls over her shoulder. "They literally shit themselves. I thought with your keen sense of smell, you would have noticed it, Vaoleti."

Vaoleti let out a bark of laughter, "Serves him right! Trying to steal from _our_ land!"

"Times are hard, 'Leti." The shortest one of the four spoke up, her light voice the only one of reason. "People get desperate, and desperate people do stupid things."

"Yeah, like attack us." Vaoleti smirked at the green-haired girl. "You know, you act like an angel and so mature, but Lilinoe man, I swear you looked like the devil himself when you knelt down beside him! Like one of those freaking vampire ladies that seduces then eats!"

Lilinoe rolled her eyes, "Oh, and you didn't look like a total beast when you took his friends out?"

Naomi smiled at her sisters as they walked back home, their hair tangled and wild and their eyes bright with

the adrenaline coursing through their veins.

With no stable income, several mouths to feed, and the uprising trouble with the rest of the world the four teenagers had to provide and care for themselves.

They walked through the dense groupings of trees to get to their home, one of the last places in their country that actually resembled what it was like nearly fifty years ago.

Their land belonged to their grandmothers' and they wanted to keep it like that for as long as they could, no matter what their government said.

The four provided for their families by hunting, gathering and growing whatever food they could, no money spent, but money earned when going into the towns to sell their spoils. T

he only problem with this was that people tended to try and follow the four, hungry people who would do anything for food or money. Desperate people who did foolish things.

"But it's not like we'd ever _kill_ anyone," Vaoleti rolled her eyes, "Despite the threats _you_ make."

"Yeah, but they don't know that," Lilinoe threw over her shoulder, winking at the last one in their group. "Isn't that right, Sina?"

Sina giggled, tying her long, pure white hair up into a ponytail.

Naomi frowned at her hair, "You know Sina, if you're trying to be sneaky, bright white hair isn't really the way to go."

Sina rolled her eyes and continued to tie her hair up.

"Oh, and that _red_ hair is?" Lilinoe flicked a red curl from Naomi's face away. "I bet a plane could see this shit."

"Vivid green isn't all that much better!" Naomi grabbed Lilinoe's head and began to ruffle the shorter girl's hair further into a wild mess. "Aye, Leki?"

Vaoleti laughed, "I guess that means that I'm the sneakiest, aye? With my dark brown hair and all!"

Naomi and Lilinoe paused in their antics to stare at the tall girl, and spoke in unison. "Yeah, but your height doesn't help at all, fucking giant."

Sina giggled as Vaoleti began to chase after the two other girls. She tilted her head up to stare at the moon, her smile still spread wide across her face.

This was their life, and they knew nothing but it.

* * *

"Marama!" Vaoleti called as she burst into their little house. "Little Marama, where are you?"

Rapid, small steps echoed through the silent house as a hidden trap door made itself known, and out flew a little blur of white hair.

"'Leti! Leti!" Small arms wrapped themselves around the tall girl, arms that could barely make themselves touch each other around the teenager's waist.

"Hello, little moonbeam," Vaoleti swept the tiny child up into her arms, "And how have you been, Little One?"

"Uh! Uh!" Marama pointed to the trap door. "Read! Play!"

"Were you reading down there?" Vaoleti grinned at the child, "What did you read?"

"G-Grrr-Grrreeeeee Meow!" Marama beamed proudly at his older sister, "Grrrr-eeeee Meow!"

"'Greedy Cat'?" Vaoleti deduced from the child's imitations. "I love that book! Can you go get it?"

Marama nodded eagerly and jumped down from her arms to retrieve his book.

Vaoleti watched in sadness as the tiny child clamoured down the trap door. So tiny, so fragile…

"We got him out in time," Lilinoe whispered as she stood beside the tall girl. "That's all that matters. We'll work from there."

"But he's five, 'Noe!" Vaoleti ran a hand through her hair. "He looks barely three!"

"With the right nourishment and care, he'll grow bigger." Naomi stated firmly, "The kids of this generation are getting smaller and smaller due to the lack of proper nourishment. Marama's not the only one."

"But-"

"You're not the only one worried, Leki." Lilinoe cut her off. "There are others that worry more than you."

Her eyes drifted to the silent one in the group. Sina stood still, watching the place where her little brother has scurried off to. Her face blank as a canvas, but her eyes showed a whirlpool of emotions and thoughts.

"I have to go," Naomi walked to the kitchen, "I told Lani that I would give her these tonight."

"Do you need us to come with you?" Vaoleti offered.

Naomi paused to smile at her worried sisters. "What's the worst that could happen? She is my mother."

* * *

"'Omi,"

"This bag has the vegetables. It's mainly potatoes and kumara-"

"Naomi,"

"-since that most vegetables won't grow in this weather. But there is lettuce and broccoli."

"Naomi."

" _This_ small bag has the herbs and the like. You know which one is which, aye Tom?"

" _Naomi._ "

"This one has the meat. Sorry it's not much, we could only get birds this time of year. We threw in some duck for youse tho-"

"Naomi!" The shrill voice finally made Naomi and her father stop what they were doing.

Naomi sighed, giving up her explanation to her father, and turning to face her mother. "Yes, Lani?"

Lani frowned at her daughter, "Why don't you stay with us?"

Naomi sighed once more, "Lani, we've been through this. I can't-"

"Why not? It's only you and Nafanua, isn't it? Why can't you both come and live with us?" Lani took a step towards the red-haired teenager.

Naomi glanced at her mother. They both shared the same shade of caramel as their skin colour, but that was where the mother and daughter's similarities ended. Naomi was taller than her mother, her hands were rough with the callouses that told of her hard work that she did nearly everyday, toned muscles, hardened from the years of working from the day she could walk. Hair as bright as fire, that curled with a passion, and eyes as yellow as topazes. Still bright, even through the lack stability and safety.

Lani stood a good two inches shorter than Naomi, her soft hands knew nothing of the physical labour that Naomi and her husband had been through, working as a teacher, she had a job that barely made her use physical labour in comparison to her husband and daughter. Her hair fell like a waterfall down her back, straight and brown. But her eyes, unlike Naomi's bright topazes, her eyes were a cocoa brown, dulled by so many heartbreaks and losses that Naomi couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"Lani," Naomi spoke tiredly, "We can't. If we do, then we lose the land."

"Then leave it to Teuila or Fotu!" Lani snapped, "Why don't you want to live with me any more? What did I do wrong?!"

"If we leave, then you starve!" Naomi finally broke. "Between you and Tom, you have just enough to pay for the house, your clothes, the utilities and other things. Prices are rising, and if Nafanua and I live on the land, you don't need to worry about food and we wouldn't need to worry about _you_!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lani's voice had risen to a shriek. "Don't talk down to _me_ , young lady! I am your mother!"

"Well, you sure as hell don't act like it!" Naomi yelled back, "You never have, and how am I to know that you ever will?"

"You never give me a chance!"

"You had ten _years_ of chances, Lani!"

"Naomi, please." Tom placed his hands on Naomi's shoulders. He bent to whisper in her ear, "She hasn't taken her medication yet."

Naomi slumped down in defeat, resigning herself to listen to her mother rant and rave until finally, Tom gave Lani her needed pills and the thirty-one year old woman stormed off to sleep.

"Thank you, Tom." Naomi mumbled to the older man. "You're too good for her,"  
"No, Naomi." Tom shook his head. "You're too good for us. We're so lucky to have such a kind daughter so concerned for our well-being."

Naomi left their house with a forced smile on her face.

Kinda? Concerned?

No, Naomi was selfish. As selfish as those damned people controlling the countries.

And there wasn't anything that she did to change that.


End file.
